Cancel Culture: Stop Contributing to it.

July 10, 2019 by Emma Halper in Culture

The twenty-first century has seen the rapid and relentless growth of social media. With that comes the incredible and often scary level of connection that we have to each other, including celebrities and other public figures. And while these connections can foster great relationships and communities, it also fosters communities of hate and knocking down others.

Celebrities, public figures, and sometimes just everyday people have become the victims of social media’s “cancel culture”; cancel culture has become a new phenomenon in the past five years on the internet. It’s when a person does something unfavorable in the public eye and are subsequently “cancelled” or written off by society. People are cancelled for valid reasons such as murder or sexual assault, but most of the time people are written off as soon as they are accused of something and have little chance of recovery.

A recent victim of cancel culture was Kevin Hart, who was ripped to shreds after being announced as the host of the 2019 Oscars after a Twitter user dug up a tweet from several years back in which Hart made a distasteful joke about the LGBTQ+ community.

Social media was quick to “cancel” Kevin Hart, and they were successful in their efforts, as Hart, who had previously apologized publicly for the tweet, stepped down from the hosting gig.

But where is the line going going to be drawn? Kevin Hart had apologized for his words and has shown his support for the LGBTQ+ community since this tweet. When will society stop canceling and start encouraging the growth and evolution of people and their points of views?

Cancel culture is toxic, and leads to no positive impacts on our society. Some day, there will be a President of the United States who made a slip-up on social media years back. We have to evaluate what kind of person they are today and how they have proven that they have changed since making those remarks; it is not conducive to society to normalize the destruction of somebody’s life, especially when it somebody we do not even know.

So stop tweeting with #cancelled and stop taking headlines at face value. Instead, tweet with #change or #growth and read the full article (and check the source!) before you decide to contribute to cancel culture.

Focus on Yourself: Reflecting on Freshman Year

June 21, 2019 by Emma Halper in Education

This past Wednesday I finished my freshman year of high school. There is no correct or adequate way to prepare one for the high school experience; it does not matter if you are a genius or a failing student, a varsity athlete, an artist, or a violin player. On the first day of freshman year, everyone is thrown in head first with no one holding their hand; from that point, is it up to every student to decide for themselves if, for the next four years, they are going to sink or swim.

My freshman year experience had its highs and its lows; I maintained high grades, I made new friends, and had incredible experiences; however, I also had long and grueling hours of homework, stress, and the constant pressures of keeping up with my peers.

High school has taught me invaluable lessons about myself, and of course about the subjects I am taught in. But perhaps the best lesson I learned over the course of my freshman year is this: focus on yourself, and do not give in to imposter syndrome.

"Imposter syndrome" is a type of psychological behavior in which one diminishes their own accomplishments by constantly comparing them to those of others; in my case, and the case of many competitive high school students, "others" are their peers.

Being a competitive person and a competitive student, sharing higher level classes with more-or-less the same group of people throughout my classes created some unhealthy expectations. Students would always compare grades on tests and projects, track each other's GPAs, and discuss and analyze their "competition".

I will admit, I definitely got wrapped up in imposter syndrome early on in the year. I became fixated on knowing who had what GPA, what summer activity so-and-so was doing, and how many APs so-and-so was planning to take next year. This was a massive mistake, as I found myself questioning my achievements and abilities when I stacked them up against my peers.

Then, I watched a YouTube video. It was a video by a student at Dartmouth College detailing his troubles in high school with imposter syndrome. He explained how he was always "number-two" at his high school, and how that impacted his views on his worth as a student and as an individual. His video was a big wake-up call for me; I realized that the more time I devoted to stressing about what others were doing, the less time I had to accomplish my goals and get to the places I wanted to be. The person in the video had this same wake-up call, and now he's at Dartmouth!

If you asked me the GPA of any of my peers now, I would tell you I do not know. I only know what my friends are doing this summer, and I do not care what so-and-so's class rank is. Because zoning in on others' successes will never advance me or my successes, and that is not how anyone should spend their time in high school; we should be able to support our peers without comparing ourselves to them, which is an attitude I definitely had to work towards.

I had an awesome freshman year; I ended with great grades, I earned leadership roles in several clubs that I am excited to take on, and have expanded my role in my community. And, yes, I am sure there are countless other people my age doing much more, and that is great for them; right now, my greatest concern is being proud of myself, and I could not be happier with what I achieved my freshman year, and could not be more excited to see what else is to come.

Emma

Las Vegas: Beyond the Lights

June 21, 2019 by Emma Halper in Travel

This April, I took a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, a place full of casinos, entertainment, bright lights, and "the strip"--a street dedicated to extravagant and immense architectural structures. The hotels of Las Vegas are unlike anywhere else in the world; they each contain their own personality, complete with themed decor, restaurants, and even shopping centers. My trip to Sin City opened my eyes to something about Las Vegas I had never noticed on my prior visits; that in each hotel that lies on the strip, there is so much more beyond the lights. In this post, I want to highlight the many hotels on the strip that pay homage to the most iconic and impactful cultures in history, and how that contributes to their extravagance and uniqueness.

Perhaps the best example of this would be Caesar's Palace, a hotel entirely dedicated to Julius Caesar and Roman culture. The architecture is truly stunning; the hotel is modeled after Greco-Roman buildings and is unmistakably so. The strong, white pillars support the massive towers (one of which is named "The Augustus Tower"). Other structures include the colosseum, one of the hotel's theaters that has hosted legends including Celine Dion and Mariah Carey, which is from the exterior a life-size replica of the famous world wonder.

But perhaps the most notable part of the Caesar experience is the Forum Shops, a massive shopping complex that is designed with such detail and purpose it almost doesn't need the rows and rows of store to make it a spectacle. From the changing night sky to make you feel as though you are in ancient Rome to the plethora of statues of Roman gods, the Forum shops are a Vegas must-see (and that is saying a lot).

Caesar's is just the tip of the iceberg for tributes to the brightest points of cultural revolution in the world's history. The Venetian pays homage to Italian culture with a complete gondola ride in their shopping center. Or the New York, New York which includes towers that look like a New York City skyline. Other examples include the Luxor, which is shaped itself like an Egyptian pyramid, and the Paris hotel which features the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, which is, yes, an Eiffel Tower replica.

The hotels of the strip are not just places for gamblers trying to make a buck or bachelorette parties, but a center of cultural patronage and inspiration, that creates a mesmerizing and enchanting experience for all of its visitors.

Emma

Image 1: The night sky of the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace

Image 2: A replica of the Osaka Castle in the Conservatory exhibit at the Bellagio

Image 3: Window display of the Versace store at the Crystals Mall in Las Vegas (part of the Vegas City Center that gives tram access to several hotels including Vdara, Aria, Bellagio, and the Park MGM).

Hi, I'm Emma!

June 21, 2019 by Emma Halper in All

Welcome to my blog. It is so important in the modern era to stay connected to cultures and to explore new experiences and ideas, especially since nowadays it can become so easy to remain in an enclosed bubble. New experiences, new places, and new peoples should be sought after, not shied away. That being said, I am here to share my experiences with the cultures I come into contact with. Cultural experiences are all around us; whether it be through film, food, fashion, music, art, or any other sector of culture, past and present, and it is up to us as members of society to open our eyes to these experiences and make something out of them. I hope you learn something unique, but more importantly, enjoy! I'm excited to begin exploring the world with you, of course through a completely unscripted lens.

Emma